starring
Chikuzan Takahashi Ryuzo Hayashi, Nobuko Otowa Chikuzan Takahashi, today one of Japan's most popular and respected folk singers, was discovered by Kaneto Shindo in the back streets of Tokyo, where crowds of students flocked to hear him. By reconstructing the blind musicians wandering life, the director has also painted a portrait of Japan from 1913 to the present day. Counterpointing the widespread poverty and rampant Japanese militarism are the vibrant, rounded tones of traditional shamisen music, much of it played by Chikuzan himself.
Written and directed by KANETO SHINDO
(A Japanese film with English sub-titles) (First showing on British television) Films: page 27